“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”
—1 Corinthians 9:27
We know that we are living in a sex-crazed culture and a sex-saturated society. We can see the cracking of the foundations. “And if the foundation be destroyed, what shall the righteous do?” We know that there is a sexual sickness in America that is devouring the very soul of this nation.
Paul said this particular sin is a sin against one’s own body. There is something damaging and destructive about participating in immorality, fornication, adultery, and sexual sin of all kinds. It perverts God’s plan and God’s purpose.
Now remember, sex is God’s gift to mankind. God is not trying to take sex from you; He is trying to save sex for you.
Having said that, we all know that we must master our sexual drives, lest we be mastered by them. It is clear in Scripture, we are to have nothing to do with lust and immoral sex. The proverbs say, “Can a man take fire to his bosom and not be burned?”
Paul says that failure to discipline our bodies in this area in our lives results in losing influence, losing ministry opportunity, losing reward. Jesus comes and His reward is with Him, the Scripture says. But the reward is lost to those who disqualify themselves. This area of life is to be under control.
WE NEED TO BE RADICAL AND RUTHLESS WITH THE TEMPTATION OF SEXUAL SIN.
